Environmental Nutrition

Feature

August 1997 Issue

As Beta-Carotene Promise Fades, Focus Turns To Other Carotenoids

By Adrienne Forman, M.S., R.D.

You may know beta-carotene as the little pill that couldn't. Beta-carotene supplements were flying off the shelves, until studies in 1994 and 1996 found no benefit, and two even suggested they could harm smokers. But beta-carotene is just one of 600 colorful pigments that belong to a family of natural plant chemicals called "carotenoids." Carotenoids give fruits and vegetables their yellow, orange and red colors. They're also abundant in dark green vegetables, where

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